What makes a good phd student

The ability to work and think logically and independently is one of the necessary skills required for a PhD. The student should be able to analyze both objectively and subjectively. Research requires hard work and diligence. Other than hard work, strong work ethics, discipline, focus, efficiency, attentiveness and professionalism are all necessary skills needed for conducting successful research.

One of the most important characteristics of a good PhD candidate is that they are highly ambitious and self-motivated. Self-motivation is an essential skill required for pursuing a PhD that will help make aspirants successful.

We hope that this article can help you assess yourself objectively and see whether you make a suitable PhD aspirant or not. Graduates with a doctoral degree from an IIM in India are well-equipped for a calling in academia and research. Home Website Contact. Published : 10 May Issue Date : 11 May Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative.

Nature Reviews Genetics Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. What makes a good PhD student? Download PDF. Some tips for PhD students. So what should we be telling prospective PhD students? Take responsibility for your project. Draw from the collective support of your PhD colleagues, research peers, and friends. Your research will be only as good as your level of wellbeing. Taking the steps to look after your mental health and get both academic and pastoral support for your PhD is one of the best things you can do for yourself and the research.

Every PhD project stems from and revolves around one or more research questions — you are doing this research to investigate an issue more deeply or to try to uncover answers or solutions to a problem or question.

A good PhD researcher is someone who continually asks questions and is keen to discover and learn new things, be it novel ways of doing research or alternative theories and perspectives. Maintain curiosity throughout your PhD — dare to push at the boundaries of your project and question existing literature, your data, and even your role as the researcher. Always reflect on what you are doing, how you can do it differently, or what other ways there are of approaching your research.

Of course, you are not expected to cover every possible approach and eventuality during your PhD, but having this curiosity will sharpen your thinking, enrich your final thesis, and demonstrate your perceptiveness and insight as a researcher. Most PhD theses will follow some similar conventions in the way they are structured and written; your supervisor will be able to advise you on the best ways to proceed. However, the finer details of how the research is conducted and how you engage with your data requires an amount of creativity and versatility to be able to identify emerging patterns and to communicate those findings in original and interesting ways.

Bear in mind that the research journey is not always a predictable one. Sometimes things go wrong during the course of your research; you might get unexpected results or your methods may not work as you anticipate. Try to be as good as you can, but not competitive. Academia is really a collaborative process, and in my view, competition has held academia back.

The more collaborative we are as academics, the faster the field advances. When we share knowledge, resources, ideas, and enthusiasm, we can build knowledge more effectively. There are different niches, and different perspectives that are all valid. Your brain needs breaks. Go for a run, spend time in nature, create art, do whatever lights up your heart and makes you feel alive. This is an often-overlooked, but extremely important point. Set yourself up for success by making graduating your goal.

Continually remind yourself of your goal to finish. Continually readjust so that you can reach that goal. Even rocks change over time. You may have to adapt during your program. I could have readjusted and taken more years to complete my dissertation, but instead of readjusting I quit. All doctoral students need support at some point, and learning to ask for it or seek it out when necessary is a vital skill for PhD students.